Chapter 421
Chapter 421
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 421
Chapter Title: Verification (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Jemernai were two as one.
This wasn't merely symbolic or a matter of interpretation.
Generation after generation, the witches of the Jemernai house had been twins sharing a single Stigma.
The apprentice witches foretold by the oracle were twins, as were Deneb and Albireo’s predecessors, their predecessors’ predecessors, and even further back—all of them twins.
Only together could they weave complete magic. Only together could they achieve perfection.
Due to the nature of that magic, no matter how far apart they were, they could always sense each other's condition.
For instance, if Deneb cast magic beyond a certain threshold or something went wrong, Albireo would immediately notice.
While peacefully approving business plans at the estate, Albireo suddenly detected a massive magical surge and headed straight for the heart of Tarot Town, where she felt Deneb's presence.
What she sensed was an Inner Barrier.
A few witches nearby were peeking around, curious about what was happening.
But they knew it was Deneb's barrier and didn't dare enter. Sneaking in while she was conducting a magic experiment could earn them a scolding.
"Oh, my head..."
Albireo's mind swiftly connected the dots, forming a plausible hypothesis.
The twins had a secret hideout in Tarot Town.
Deneb had suddenly deployed an Inner Barrier nearby.
The keyword "Shin Si-woo" popped up right away.
For example, what if Si-woo had been fooling around intimately with the twins and got caught by Deneb?
"This is driving me crazy! For real."
That was no small matter.
Deneb was kinder and gentler than Albireo, more considerate of others, but in some ways, far less flexible.
Albireo hurried into the barrier.
And immediately realized her guess had hit the mark.
She was a bit late—Deneb and Si-woo were gone.
But inside the dissipating barrier, not a single building stood intact.
Deneb had gone on a rampage while unleashing her magic.
"This could turn into a real disaster..."
Albireo wiped away cold sweat as a scene flashed in her mind: an enraged Deneb ripping Si-woo's head clean off.
She understood Deneb's feelings completely.
But for the twins' sake, the worst mustn't happen.
Albireo turned toward the most likely place where Deneb might have taken Si-woo.
2.
A stabbing headache, muscle aches, the chill rising from the floor, and the incongruous dampness forced his heavy eyelids open.
"Hah! Haahk... Haahk..."
His body, remembering the intensity of the battle, belatedly gasped for air. As Si-woo tried to move, he realized his arms were twisted upward and bound.
Clank! Clank!
He writhed desperately, but his legs were firmly fixed to the chair, and his arms chained, leaving him immobile.
Figuring his bare strength wouldn't cut it, he tried to draw on his magic power...
"What the hell."
The magic in his Stigma didn't budge an inch.
Si-woo finally looked around.
One word summed up the surroundings: underground dungeon.
Rusted bars, blackened beyond repair, were densely embedded in grim, filthy rock.
No moonlight penetrated the pitch-black chamber; only the flames from torches on the walls provided light.
It was a dungeon where rats the size of cats had likely proliferated for generations.
As a bewildered Si-woo glanced sideways, a white figure clicked into view on high heels.
"During the Cliffort raid in the past, Gehenna suffered considerable damage. Our family estate was half-destroyed as well."
Deneb Jemernai.
The moment he saw her, all his memories came flooding back.
"Hostility toward Public Enemies and exiles reached a peak, and various measures were taken within Gehenna. For example, this underground dungeon was built beneath our count's residence."
Si-woo had chased after the fleeing twins to reconcile, ending in a kiss and a lascivious atmosphere.
Then Deneb Jemernai burst in without a warrant and apprehended him on the spot.
"The rebuilt Jemernai estate—from the building layout to the corridors—was constructed to form a massive magic circle. The ley lines and water veins flowing underground are controlled by that circle, making this prison a confinement where no one but my sister and I can use magic."
Only then did Si-woo understand why he couldn't use his magic.
As Deneb said, the heavy magic permeating the area interfered with every attempt at spellcasting.
No matter how hard he tried, it was like trying to overturn an arm-wrestling match after it was already over—nothing moved.
"Don't even think the twins will come rescue you. They don't even know this place exists. It wouldn't be good for their emotional development."
Compared to the rage Deneb had first shown, her tone was remarkably calm.
But it was obvious at a glance.
It wasn't because her anger had subsided. It was because her fury had been filtered and refined into something sharp and pointed.
"Lady Deneb."
"I'm the one asking questions. I've cast Confession's Poem on you."
"Ugh, I really hate that spell..."
His lips moved on their own at her words.
It was the worst kind of magic, spilling even his innermost thoughts without filter.
Separate from the cold, Si-woo felt his legs trembling.
Though she'd regained some composure, it didn't mean her anger had faded.
She'd merely recovered enough rationality to proceed with the interrogation.
It wouldn't feel out of place if she lost that rationality again while listening to his babbling and took his life.
"Alright, I get it. This'll be my grave, huh."
"......"
"You know I'm not saying this voluntarily, right? It's all that damn—oh, sorry. It's the Confession's Poem... Please go easy on me."
Deneb's eyebrow twitched at the awkward farce, but she showed no hint of amusement.
She continued in a cold tone.
"Were you trying to have intercourse with the twins?"
"Yes."
Squeeze.
Si-woo saw Deneb's nails digging into her palm.
Just the first word, and already danger signs were flashing.
"...Why? Odil and Odet are apprentice witches. You, of all people, should know what happens if they're defiled. They asked you to wait just a little longer..."
"We'd already been intimate several times with no issues."
"You call that an excuse?!"
Deneb's sharp voice echoed through the chamber.
"But it's the truth! The part that can't be dirtied for an apprentice witch is the womb, and we only went as far as..."
Once more, Si-woo truly despised this magic.
No matter how he tried to beat around the bush.
No matter how he timed it to slip in the story slyly.
The moment it crossed his mind, the words poured out effortlessly.
"Anal sex!"
"...Wha, ana, anal...?"
Deneb's expression at that instant mirrored a scientist whose absolute certainties had crumbled.
Utterly blank and stunned.
"We've ejaculated over twenty times now, but the vessel shows no damage. Of course, it wasn't just for carnal lust... It started as a love potion... Though I have others I must take responsibility for besides the twins... And..."
Along with his true feelings, hesitant thoughts trickled out.
But it was already clear.
The words entering one of Deneb's ears were slipping straight out the other.
"...No matter what, I intend to take full responsibility."
Deneb's face looked as if the blood—and her very soul—had drained from it, utterly distraught.
Color slowly returned to her cheeks.
Blood flushed from clear, burning rage.
"So... not only did you engage in lewd acts with the twins and continue recklessly, but you're also involved with other women? And you claim you'll take responsibility? You think the Jemernai house is a joke."
"I swear that's not it!"
"I absolutely cannot forgive this."
Hummm, huuummm.
The air began to tremble.
Deneb wasn't trying to activate magic.
Her magic power was simply reacting to her intense emotions, stirring up chaos.
The problem was that Si-woo couldn't cast even the slightest spell right now.
Even if Deneb had no such intent, a brush with that magic could cost him his life.
"Deneb!"
The swirling waves of power dissipated before the loud voice.
Along with the sound of heels clattering down the stairs, it was her sister Albireo who restrained Deneb.
As expected, she swiftly neutralized Deneb's magic and wedged herself between Si-woo and her.
"Sister, perfect timing. This hotshot male witch has been playing around with the twins. Surprised?"
"Deneb, calm down first."
"How can I calm down?!"
Even if it was a moment of lustful impulse, it was unforgivable. And to think he'd been habitually mixing with the twins using some perverse loophole beyond imagination.
Not stopping there, he'd been intimate with Sharon Evergreen, Duke Tiphereth, Countess Yesod, and many others.
Unforgivable.
After venting her fury and condemning his sins at length, Deneb noticed Albireo's far calmer demeanor than expected and realized something.
She was too composed for someone hearing this for the first time.
"No way... Sister, did you... know?"
"Yeah, I knew."
"Why didn't you tell me?! You know how serious this is!"
Deneb couldn't comprehend it, but Albireo had her reasons.
First off, the twins had seduced Si-woo first.
Unable to resist their rampant curiosity, they'd pounced on him with a love potion. As a slave back then, Si-woo had no way to refuse.
Even so, Si-woo had saved the twins' lives once from a homunculus and once from a Public Enemy.
The second time, they'd been practically dead.
After recovery, Albireo had urged him to head to the surface world, and consequently—though in hindsight—he'd nearly died again in the panic caused by the Witch of Cowardice.
He'd caused quite a bit of trouble under the pretext of caring for the twins.
But Albireo hadn't overlooked Si-woo's recklessness out of mere guilt or obligation.
The twins clearly favored him, and he reciprocated.
Unlike ordinary men, he neither aged nor died, making him a prime son-in-law candidate. And even now, he was elevating his magical realm—a genius.
Maintaining good relations had no downsides, she'd judged.
Deneb might be fixated solely on the fact of their physical intimacy, blind to the context, but Albireo had weighed it all carefully.
"Wait here a moment."
"Where are you going? What can't be said in front of him?!"
Albireo grabbed Deneb's wrist and pulled her to the corner of the dungeon.